The Princess and the Crow
by BaileyGibbs
Summary: He had adored her and been her best friend her whole life. Now, his feelings were changing and becoming something more than simply friendship. But, what she needed was true love and true love's kiss. How could he be that for her when he wasn't even human? *No Malora here! Only Diavora!*
1. The Extent of My Feelings

***Do not read if you have not seen the movie Maleficent!***

**This does contain spoilers and if you haven't seen the movie, the plot some of the characters may be ruined for you. You really should watch the movie first as it is amazing and this story is simply a shadow of the characters' consciousness reflected by the light of my own imagination. My version also contains a romantic relationship that does not exist in the actual story. So, once again, please go watch the movie for yourself and form your own opinions and draw your own conclusions. Then, if you decide you would still like to hear my version, come back and read here.**

"Curious little beastie…"

Diaval looked at the cloaked form of the fair girl he had practically raised while his sovereign mistress, Maleficent, toyed with the utterly incompetent hags charged with caring for the princess.

Alright, perhaps that wasn't completely fair. Maleficent had taken care of the girl as much as he. Okay, maybe even more than he had since she was the one telling him what the little one needed when she was a child. How was he to know what was needed by a human child? He had hardly seen one before Aurora.

Through Maleficent, though, he learned. She told him everything the girl needed not only to survive, but to be happy. The woman would provide the world for that child if she thought that that was what the child was lacking, all the while pretending to harbor ill will towards her. That was how Diaval knew how much his mighty mistress secretly cared for "the little beastie." He smirked as he remembered how some of her first words to the girl had been "I hate you" and he wondered if Maleficent could see the extent of _his_ feelings for the princess just as much as he could see hers.

At this thought, he chanced a sidelong glance at the wing-deprived faery and saw that her glowing, enchanted eyes were still focused on Aurora. Those eyes never seemed to miss a thing. Not the way he would play with the bored, growing girl outside of her cottage home without being ordered to. Not the way he would check in at her window every night or two even though she was long past being rocked to sleep in her crib by his clawed foot. Not the way he would watch her explore the forest and allow a small smile to curve his beaked mouth every time he saw a grin light up her beautiful face.

Often had Diaval feared that Maleficent missed none of those things. Of course, he knew that part of Maleficent's curse was that the princess would be loved by all, but he could not fathom that all loved Aurora in the same way that he had come to love her in his heart. She had captured his heart when she was but a child and he had adored her and, quite honestly, become her best friend in the world. But, over time his feelings of friendship changed and blossomed into something more as the child became a young woman. She was still his best friend. It was just that she had become something else to him now as well. Something that meant the world to him. Something that he had never had before.

The king's guards could be heard poking around Maleficent's briar fortress from miles away. The most incapable, bungling little excuses for soldiers, really. Why did the king even bother with them? Diaval supposed that his mistress would have him take care of them. He assumed correctly as Maleficent soon froze and levitated Aurora and turned to him to give her orders.

He knew he would have to be turned into something quite fearsome to ward off these idiots, and awaited the transformation. He could feel the magic twisting his bones and limbs and arching his back. He prepared to pounce as his mind was altered as well to fit his new form. He felt his paws hit the ground. NO!

_I'm a grimy, overgrown mutt!_

* * *

Maleficent had really brought her here... to the Moors. Diaval knew that she cared for Aurora, but when she had seen the girl poking around the walls, he didn't think that the witch would actually let her in. After all, she was a human. Maleficent created the walls to keep the humans out. After Stefan, Diaval imagined the this land had seen the very last of humans. Apparently he was very wrong.

_It was well worth bringing her here,_ Diaval thought as he saw the wonder on the face of the girl at the new world around her and the look on Maleficent's face as she called the witch her "faery godmother." Truly, there never was a more inaccurate yet entirely too accurate term for what Maleficent was to her. He had to keep himself from chuckling as he saw that Maleficent held with the fact that that was an inaccurate description of herself.

Diaval picked out a nice branch to perch on in front of Aurora since Maleficent had decided they were no longer hiding. He looked at the girl's radiant face as her piercing gaze turned onto him. It was easier to look at her this way, in his bird form. This way, his heart and his head were not so tangled like they were in his human body so that he could still function while being in her presence.

So little, it seemed to him, humans could do except love. His wings could carry him to heights unknown by man and his clever brain could find him food wherever and whenever he needed. What could a human's body do? In his experience, there was only one great thing he had ever been able to do as a human being. And that was loving another human so greatly that soaring freely to the tops of clouds paled in comparison to staring into her beautiful, sparkling blue eyes.

That is not to say of course, that he wasn't in love with Aurora in his crow form. He was still the same Diaval. It was just that his love didn't feel the same sitting comfortably in heart of a crow as it did burning in his human chest. He almost couldn't put it into words. The intensity of his feelings was there, but muted. He harbored the strong emotion, but it didn't consume him. The strangest part was that he didn't know which form he preferred anymore. He would always be a crow and he had thought that he would always desire a crow's body. But, now…

When he thought about whether he would rather stay in crow form or human form forever, Aurora's face popped into his head and it just wasn't so easy to make that decision anymore.

"I remember you." The excited voice of the girl that now seemed to ceaselessly consume even his crow thoughts broke into his reverie and she instantly had his full attention. He squawked a hello that she probably wouldn't understand. "Pretty bird." The grin that used to light her cheeks and eyes when they played together outside of her cottage appeared once more on her face. It was a special smile to Diaval. One that he liked very much to pretend was only for him. He cawed again and smiled slightly in return although it was very unlikely that she could see it.

"This is Diaval," Maleficent said. Part of him hoped that she would not shift him to his human form. He wouldn't know the words to say if he had a man's mouth to say them. But now, in his crow form, he knew what to do. He extended his wings and bowed his introduction.

But, then, he felt Maleficent's magic shifting his form once more. He internally groaned at his dread of being in front of Aurora as a man, but readied himself to land on his feet as he had a hundred times before. He felt the feathers of his wings change to the fingers on his hands. Felt his twig-like legs gain weight and muscle and his knees bend the opposite direction (that definitely took some getting used to at first). Felt his hard beak change into a soft, smaller mass of flesh and bone on his scarred pale face. And he felt his heart change in size to accommodate the intensifying feelings he had for the girl now stepping away from his new form in shock. But then that special smile, Diaval's smile, returned once more to her face.

Another part of Diaval was glad that Maleficent had let Aurora see his human form. For a reason he would hardly admit to himself, he wanted Aurora to see him this way. He wanted her to see him as an equal to herself at the very least on a biological level. He wanted Aurora to think of him as a human because a disgustingly naive part of him hoped that if she thought of him this way, she might be able to love him back. He cringed internally. That could never happen. He hated himself for even thinking that way. He pushed aside those grim thoughts and focused on the radiance of the lady standing before him.

"Hello, Aurora." That was a good start, right? Saying hello was customary for meeting someone for the first time. But it wasn't their first time meeting, was it? _No, _Diaval thought. _It certainly is not._ "I've known you…" _and loved you… _"since you were a little one."

For a moment, he wondered if he were to reach out his hand, would she take it? Before he knew it, her hand was in his. He hadn't even consciously given his traitorous fingers permission to reach out towards her own, and now there they were, gripping her small, delicate hand gently but somewhat desperately. And if he were to bring that fair hand to his lips…

Diaval was aware this time of his hand's actions and his heart's incredibly fast pace. He watched Aurora's face all the time to ensure he wasn't frightening her. But, even as his lips finally met her skin, she still glowed with that special smile of hers. In that few seconds when he was kissing her hand, Diaval swore he saw a new light spark in her eyes and and in her grin. But, surely that was just a product of his imagination inspired by his own indescribable feelings in that magical moment. His heart flew higher than his wings had ever taken him. In fact, it felt like his heart grew to match his ever growing love for this princess. It was a near painful feeling but, for the first time, he did not want to return to his bird form to escape its intensity. As he released his love's hand and stepped back beside his mistress, the decision of whether or not he preferred his human or crow form was no longer so difficult.

He may always be a crow, but he would want to be a human now and forever for his Aurora.


	2. To Know You

***Do not read if you have not seen the movie Maleficent!***

**Authors Note: I want to thank everyone who has faved, followed, and reviewed the one chapter I have put up so far. Honestly, the response I got was pretty overwhelming and awesome! I'm so glad you all seem to enjoy it so far. There's just one thing I wanted to let you guys know. If you care, I'm changing the rating to T because there is a bit of language in this part. I'm writing in third person, but it's third person from Diaval's POV, if that makes sense. So, I felt some inappropriate language was necessary and fit the character. I hope you're not upset by this. I can't imagine that you would be, though. Anyway, I'll let you get to reading the good stuff. Enjoy!**

Diaval sat, legs crossed in his human form next to a freshwater spring glittering in the morning sun. He stared into it, studying a man's face, his face. The strange, papery skin. The scars, the tendons that stuck out more visibly on his body than on a regular human's. The useless, stick-like limbs called "arms" protruding from his sides. Honestly, what was the purpose of arms? Carrying things? He could do that with his mouth just as he always had. His teeth were strong. They could carry things just fine, thank you! That's what he had done when Maleficent first changed him. Until, of course, she asked him to stop because "it was unsettling" and it "prevented him from talking which was the only reason he was ever turned into a man anyway."

At least he did have some semblances of his old, beautiful self. The black hair and a few feathers on his head were alright. His eyes looked pretty much the same as they always had except that he could see the whites of his eyes now, which he had never seen before. He admitted that, too, was a little discomforting. And, of course, the worst bit about it was that he couldn't fly this way.

There were benefits, though, as well. As it turned out, Diaval was quite a big fan of his legs. They could get him places well enough. He could run. That was a new experience. Very strange and hard to get the hang of at first. But when he did, he loved it. It was quite a bit like the feeling of flying, except he felt like he had more power when he ran. When you fly, you basically have to go where the wind takes you, but running gave you all the power close to the ground where the strong winds couldn't reach you. And… maybe arms could carry a _bit_ more than his teeth could.

Maleficent seemed a little curious as to why Diaval suddenly seemed to want to spend more and more time as a human, and her curiosity concerned him. He wondered if she had worked out his motives yet, but she seemed pretty concerned with worries of her own. He could see that what she had done to Aurora was finally weighing on her. He knew she was fighting with herself internally. Her compassion for Aurora and her desire for revenge were warring with one another. Diaval knew which one would eventually win. He just didn't know how she could break the curse once she finally realized how she felt…

Diaval could see the furrow that formed on his brow in his reflection and swiped the water with his hand… and instantly regretted it.

_Ack!_ he thought, disgusted. _Damn filthy water sticks to my skin! Get off!_ He didn't understand it. Water always just rolled off his oiled feathers whenever he got wet as a bird. He tried wiping it off with his other hand. "Oh, now my other hand is wet!"

He heard soft chuckling directly behind him and whipped his head around to see the source of the musical sound. Aurora stepped forward and he stood, completely forgetting his dripping hands as he took in her smile, Diaval's favorite smile.

"I was wondering why you looked so confused when you splashed the water." Aurora stepped closer until she was directly in front of him, still beaming. "The water doesn't just roll off of human skin. You have to dry your hands."

She took a small wool handkerchief out of her dress pocket and grabbed one of his hands. His heart beat continually faster as she dried off one hand, then the other. When she was done, she put the wet cloth on the grass to dry itself and sat down on the bank of the stream. She looked back up at Diaval, smiling warmly and patted the place next to her to signal that he should sit down. He obeyed and resumed his earlier cross-legged position.

"Thank you, Aurora." He said, looking at his now dry hands and looking back to her, feeling more than a bit foolish and sheepish. Why was he sheepish? He was Diaval, dammit! He was self-assured to the point of being a cocky bastard. A title he accepted with pride because he _was _a cocky bastard. Not this tail-between-his-legs, quivering-in-the-face-of-a-pretty-girl pup.

"I suppose you haven't spent very much time as a human, have you, Diaval?" Aurora asked, genuinely curious.

Diaval almost lost focus on her question at hearing his name come out of her mouth. It made his heart flutter like the wings of a humming bird.

Damn… Maybe he was a tail-between-his-legs, quivering-in-the-face-of-a-pretty-girl pup… He knew in a second that that's exactly what he would be for Aurora. Well, just as long as no one else knew, his pride wouldn't be too damaged and he could at least keep up the image of being a cocky bastard. Sounded good to him.

"No, not really." Diaval made a very conscious effort to puff out his chest a little and raise his chin. He made an even bigger effort to not let his voice waver while he spoke. "I actually am only recently trying to spend more time in my human body."

_I wonder why…_ An sarcastic voice spoke in his head.

As if she had heard it herself she asked, "Oh, why is that? Don't you like being a bird?"

Diaval cursed internally and rapidly thought of what he would say. Should he lie to her? Well, obviously. What else would he do? Tell the truth? _"Oh, well, I do very much like being a bird. But, you see, the reason I want to be a human is because I want to spend more time with you. I want to talk with you. I want to know you and I want you to know me. I want you to see me as a man, not a bird because I want you to fall in love with me. I spend time as a man now because I am in love with you. I love you, Aurora."_

"I'm just beginning to like this form, I suppose." That wasn't a lie. Not really. It was just sort of a misdirection from the whole truth. Still… he didn't like keeping it from her. He had never liked lying to anyone. He may have been prideful and arrogant and hot-headed sometimes, but he was never a liar.

"I suppose I can understand that." Aurora smiled widely as always and didn't prod further into the question. For that, Diaval was grateful. If she had asked why he liked being a human, he might have told her honestly. "I mean," Aurora continued, "I've often wondered what it would be like to be something else… rather than a human of course. I think being a raven like you would be wonderful. I've always wanted to know what it's like to fly."

Diaval looked at her, but she was somewhere else. Her expression was distant and she was staring far off over a cliff's edge at the skyline. It was still early and the clouds had not yet lost the splash of red, orange, and purple that the sun paints them at dawn. The irony was not lost on Diaval that the glorious aurora he was looking towards was nowhere near as breath-taking as the Aurora sitting next to him.

Knowing this, he looked back to the princess when he spoke again. "It is wonderful."

She seemed shocked out of a trance at the sound of his voice. She turned towards him again and seemed confused for a moment.

"What is?" she asked.

"Flying." He watched recognition wash across her face as she remembered her earlier comment. "There is no greater feeling of freedom as when one is flying. It's as though even gravity itself can't restrain you. Nothing can hold you to the earth, to one place." _Except you,_ he added mentally. _You could probably hold me here forever. _

Diaval reveled in her look of wonder and rapt attention to his description of flying. He enjoyed it immensely and it might have fed his ego, just a bit.

"You would make a beautiful raven." Strange. He didn't remember giving his mouth permission to say those words. That was something else he sometimes had trouble with. Talking. Without meaning to. But, only around her. However, he saw the radiant blush that colored her cheeks and decided that this time his mouth could get away with it.

"It's a wonder you even want to remain human at all," she remarked once more. But, this time, Diaval had a slightly better answer for it.

"Well, there is something that keeps me tethered here." He saw her questioning look and smiled. "My mistress. Your 'Faery Godmother'?" Diaval laughed once again at this and was pleasantly surprised to hear Aurora join in on his laughter.

"She saved my life by turning me into a human and now, I owe my life to her."

Aurora seemed to be in awe at this. "You gave your life to serve her…"

"Of course. My life was hers the day she prevented it from ending, so I became her servant willingly. It's what any honorable bird would have done."

Aurora smiled softly at his words and stared at him almost admiringly for a while. Diaval had to look away after a while. That look was going to have him blushing like a school girl. He couldn't have that. _Cocky bastard! Be the bastard, Diaval! If you want to look like a man in front of her, then be a man!_ He straightened up and raised his chin again. He wondered if this even looked attractive, or if he just looked like some stupid peacock trying to look good.

"You know," he spoke, trying to get rid of the awkward feeling of insecurity he had. What better way than to talk about himself? He loved himself! "You were the only one who ever called me pretty."

"What?" Aurora seemed surprised at the turn of the conversation and giggled at the seemingly random statement.

"You call me 'Pretty bird.' You're the only one who has ever done so. Well, besides myself, of course. I've always known how beautiful I was. It's just nice to hear someone else say it as well." Diaval smiled a very confident smile. It was nice to know he still had some confidence when it came to her.

She laughed and agreed, "You are a pretty bird." Diaval's smile widened a little. "And a beautiful man, as well." At this, Diaval's smile dropped and his mouth just hung open a bit. He felt his heart thumping and swelling in his chest.

"Oh, sorry," Aurora began again, misinterpreting his expression as offense. "Men don't like being called 'beautiful,' do they? My apologies. You're handsome, Diaval. Very handsome." She smiled, satisfied with her amended compliment.

Diaval quickly recovered himself and put together his outward appearance although he was still an overjoyed mess on the inside. His rational side told him to calm down and it was his rational side that spoke.

"You're only saying that because I'm the only man you've ever seen." He smirked at his own remark and also felt his heart fall because he knew he was right… and he didn't like it.

"That's not true!" Diaval raised a brow at this, but also became slightly worried and maybe a bit jealous. Where and when had she seen other men? "I've seen men before. I've seen pictures in story books." Her cheeks turned pink as she admitted it shyly, as though she already knew Diaval's next words.

"Those do not count," he chuckled. He breathed a sigh of relief. Story books… probably princes she had seen. "Did I look _anything_ like them?"

"No," she admitted. "But, that's what makes you so special. You aren't like anyone else."

He considered her words for a while. Was that a good thing? Was it a plus that no matter how hard he tried, he would always be different from other men? Or did it push Aurora away from him rather than bringing her closer?

Aurora yawned and scooted right next to Diaval so that she was maybe an inch away and she laid her head on his shoulder. For a moment, he couldn't even breathe for fear that she would move away again. But, eventually, he had to and when she didn't go away, he started breathing normally again. He turned his head slightly to look at the girl and saw that her eyes were closed and her mouth was slightly open. Her breathing had become more shallow. She fell asleep. She felt comfortable enough with him to sleep on his shoulder. Diaval grinned the widest grin he could ever remember having on his face. He supposed being different wasn't the worst thing he could be.

He was so happy in that moment that he didn't feel the the usually commanding presence of his mistress. And he didn't feel the piercing, glowing green eyes watching him and Aurora from the cover of the trees.


	3. A Change in the Weather

***Do not read if you have not seen the movie Maleficent!***

**Author's Note: My sincerest apologies for not posting in so long. My internet hasn't been working properly for what feels like weeks, and it still isn't. But, I am finally able to post this chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Diaval." The black-feathered bird tore his eyes away from his view of the great wall dividing the humans' and his mistress's domains. He had often watched the area in place of Maleficent for the past sixteen years. They would almost always switch and take shifts keeping a protective eye over the Moors and keeping a protective eye over Aurora. The bird swooped down from his perch in the branches and waited for either his mistress's orders or the transformation that would allow them to speak to one another. The faery chose the latter.

"I want to speak with you about something."

"Well, yes," Diaval began. "I would imagine that was the reason you turned me human." Diaval felt the sarcasm dripping from his lips but he couldn't make it stop. "Unless, of course, you just wanted to stare at my sexy human form. Would you like me to strip for you… Mistress?"

Diaval's eyebrows quirked and he gave his best shot at a seductive smile. He couldn't hold it for long, however, because he was soon overcome with a fit of hysterical laughter at his mistress's completely unamused face. It reminded him very much of the expression she had the first time Aurora called her her Faery Godmother. Funny, that now seemed to be a title she rather didn't mind from her Little Beastie.

"I know you may strain yourself in the process, but do try to be serious." Diaval looked at her and was now becoming worried. Her face went from unamused to… dark? No. Dark is her expression when she meditates on her revenge and hatred for King Stefan. This was different. Her eyes were downcast. Her brows were furrowed. This was pain and worry.

"I can't take it back." She finally met Diaval's eyes.

"What?" Diaval asked, confused.

"The curse. I cannot undo the curse I placed on Aurora… I have tried."

Diaval's brows unknit and his eyes became clear with understanding. He knew that Maleficent had begun to regret cursing Aurora. He could see it in her eyes when the girl would make her smile or when she watched her expression fill with wonder at something new she had discovered in the Moors. But, to think that his cruel, vengeful mistress had tried to revoke her punishment on the king… It meant something huge. It meant that her love for the girl had outgrown her hatred for the man that took her wings and her trust from her.

So… she and Diaval were on the same page. Neither of them wanted the fate that awaited Aurora in a matter of mere days.

"What will we do, then?" Diaval asked, determined.

"We?" The faery raised an eyebrow.

"You know that I want the curse lifted just as you do."

"Yes… I certainly know that you do…" Maleficent kept her brow quirked and fixed Diaval with a knowing stare. Alright, so she knew. She definitely knew. Whatever. It didn't matter anymore. All that mattered was breaking Aurora's curse.

"What. Can. We. Do?" Diaval asked a second time, more sternly.

"Did you not hear me when I said I tried?" Maleficent's words could have had more bite and malice laced in them, but her tone was too defeated to sharpen her words. "There is nothing that can be done and you know it."

"What if you didn't exactly break it?" Diaval was desperately trying to come up with ideas to suggest. "What if you just altered it? Or… or redirected it?" Diaval was at least mildly confident that this solution could work, or rather, confident that he would do whatever needed to be done to make it work

"Redirect it? You mean transfer it? Place it on someone else?" Maleficent looked at Diaval skeptically and a bit shocked.

"Yes." Diaval answered, hoping it was an option. Hoping that her expression meant that there could be a way.

"Place it on yourself?" Maleficent asked staring at him very hard, as if asking if he was sure of his answer. Asking if he knew what the consequence of his words could be.

"Yes." Diaval replied with a tone and expression of equal severity.

She stayed silent for a moment longer, looking at him. "You really do care for her." Maleficent turned her back to Diaval and walked to a tree, leaning heavily on her staff and then the tree when she reached it. Her eyes stayed to the ground as she walked and when she turned her head slightly back towards her servant once more.

"It can't be done," she began gravely. Diaval felt his hopes and his heart fall to the floor.

"Why not?" he demanded, suddenly fuming. Maleficent turned back to face him fully once more and looked at him with complete surprise and no small amount of indignation. He was her knave and he owed his life to her. As such, he should not be allowed to speak to her that way and he knew it well. He just couldn't help it. It was this damn human form. Controlling his emotions was always so difficult. But, then again, that was only when it came to something about Aurora.

"You heard the words of the curse that I spoke on that day." Maleficent walked towards him again, keeping eye contact with him. It was a habit she had, trying to intimidate people. Normally her bright eyes unsettled people when those eyes landed on their own. She used it quite often on the day that she spoke of. But, Diaval was not affected by her eyes now. "I said that no power on earth can change it. That means my own power is included. I cannot break or change the spell. Nothing can." Maleficent went back to the tree and sank to the ground, leaning against it's trunk.

Diaval looked at her in despair and tried frantically to think of something. He remembered the words of her curse well. What they needed was a loophole. Any way to get around the curse. Of course, Maleficent had already created one: true love's kiss. Diaval sank to the ground like his Mistress. Part of him screamed within, _"You love her. Your love is true. You can break the spell! You can save her!" _But, it was losing a battle with the rational part of himself that told the other part to shut the hell up. Diaval was a bird plucked from the clutches of a net and an angry farmer by a faery with a vendetta against a king. His destiny was to die by that farmer's club. A disturbance of fate had interfered with that destiny and lengthened his life, just like one had stepped into the life of the woman he loved and shortened hers.

_A bird may love a princess,_ he thought ruefully. _But, where would they make a home together? _

They could never be meant for each other. He could never be meant to break her curse. He could never be her true love.

* * *

Diaval sat perched on a branch high in a tree, his thoughts and emotions swirling from one thing to the next. Despair. Hope. Determination. Love. Sadness. He couldn't take the storm raging within him in his human form. It was too much. It was still a horrid experience to continue to worry in his crow form, but it was still less. His only comfort was also the only thing that could add to his torment - watching Aurora.

Maleficent had told her that she could stay in the Moors and live there for as long as she liked. So, here the princess was, pacing in the forest and rehearsing what she would say to her "aunties" when she told them that she was leaving. Time was running out and Maleficent's last-minute solution of keeping Aurora in the Moors sounded to Diaval about as good a plan as King Stefan's plan to keep her in the forest. But, he had to hope that it would work. Although, his realistic side made him constantly aware that it was his desperation, not his rational thinking, that fueled his hope. A voice in his head kept repeating that there was only a small chance that this plan would work, but he persistently silenced it.

He internally chuckled a bit at something Aurora said about the three idiots accidentally feeding her spiders when he and Aurora were both startled by a sound. Suddenly, it was no longer just them in the clearing. Diaval swooped down to where his mistress stood, watching the events unfold herself. For some reason, Diaval kept wondering if she would do anything about it. Shoo the boy away, or scare him, or threaten him, or just annihilate him. He didn't like the little prince. He didn't like the way he looked at Aurora. He shifted his position constantly, raising one foot, then the other as if preparing to take off and fly right into the boy's face. However, Maleficent put her hand in front him in a silent command for him not to move. Diaval looked at his mistress's face, somewhat annoyed, but then followed her intent gaze to Aurora's face.

For the fist time since the boy entered, Diaval really saw the face of his princess. He saw that she was fascinated, curious, and a bit frightened. But, there was much more. She was in awe, she was happy, and she liked him. She liked looking at him. She liked hearing him speak. She liked that she could help him find his way. She did not like it when he turned to leave and asked if he would return.

A dark black cloud settled over the raven as he sat, motionless next to his mistress. At first, the cloud drenched him in sadness, despair. In a way, the despair was deeper than even the despair he felt at not being able to break Aurora's curse. Before, if the curse never existed, Diaval may have believed at least there might be some chance that Aurora would grow to like him and never belong to anyone else or any other man. But now, at her first sight of a man other than Diaval, her heart seemed halfway gone already. The despair that came with that revelation cut him like nothing else had.

Then, he felt the storm cloud rain down anger upon him. Who was this boy to walk in and steal her? Who was he to like her? Who was he that she liked him? Diaval wanted to kill him, or better, go back in time and ensure that he never even existed. That way, this never would have happened in the first place. Diaval would still be the only man that was ever in Aurora's life. Jealousy consumed his body and heart and he felt the weight of it so heavily in even his bird body that he did not want to change to his human form to see what this feeling was like as a man. He knew it would destroy him.

As the cloud kept pouring these emotions over him, something kept yelling and nagging him from inside himself. It was trying to make him realize something and after a moment, he spared a bit of his concentration to listen. Of course… the curse. The curse!

He had it wrong before. He should not have been thinking of what would have happened had the boy never existed. What would have happened if he did not exist now, just like it was supposed to be? Could be? Was there even the slightest chance that this boy was Aurora's true destiny? Her true love?

The thought sent a dagger straight through the crow's heart, but he knew that that was only because the thought held truth. He could be. Maybe. Half of him was still fighting against the notion. Hard.

How could he be her true love? He didn't know her. She didn't know him. They have nothing in common. They cannot be meant for each other. He is not the one. He couldn't be. The answer to all our problems can't just fall out of the sky like this. It just doesn't happen.

But, as the boy, Phillip, and Aurora said their goodbyes, he gave her a promise that they would meet again. That moment clinched it and stilled Diaval's every argumentative thought against the idea. Because, in that moment, Aurora gave Phillip a smile. A special smile. The smile that Diaval cherished and believed was only ever meant for him.

At that moment, he was crushed under the weight of his own, selfish sadness, but his mind was made up.

He cawed and cawed for Maleficent to notice him and change him quickly as soon as Aurora and Phillip were both gone. As she did so, though, Diaval instantly regretted changing to his human form with his human heart. It felt the pain so much more intensely. The only way he could push past it was to remind himself of his mission. He had to save Aurora. That was more important than anything. Damn his pain. He could wallow in it and die later.

"Well?" Diaval asked his mistress expectantly, impatiently.

"What?" she asked as if nothing of consequence had just occurred.

"That boy is the answer! True love's kiss, remember?"

Maleficent laughed a cruel and bleak laugh right in Diaval's face. "Heven't you figured it out? I worded it that way because there is no such thing." The pain in her face made it evident she was not gleeful about this fact and it reminded her of darker times before her servant entered her life.

Her servant would have none of it, though. This was the only way. So, you damn well better believe that true love did sure as hell did exist. "Well, that may be how you feel, but what about Aurora?"

The faery looked at him impatiently and with an annoyed and hopeless expression. She raised her hand, but Diaval's words halted her.

"Go ahead," he challenged gravely. "Turn me into whatever you want. A bird, a worm. I don't care anymore."

_Nothing you turn me into will change what has happened or what I feel. There is a chance that Aurora will live happily with her true love. Let her have that and let me have my grief._


	4. The Crow's Curse

**_Author's Note: Not gonna lie. Kinda proud of this one. That's probably just because it's four in the morning right now, though, and I'm a little loopy. Still, hope you all enjoy it as well. I love to hear your feedback, so if you have some, lay it on me._**

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I step closer and closer to her where she lay napping in the grass meadow dotted with wildflowers and I smile. Her hair glints like the most precious gold in the sunlight. It frames her face like the halos of saints I see in the windows of the church in town. However, her visage puts those blessed images to shame. I can see there is almost a faint smile playing around the corners of her soft, rose lips and I wonder what she is dreaming. Does she see the many different creatures that roam the Moors? Is it day or night in her dreams? Is she laughing and smiling in her fantasy land as much as she does in the waking world? More so? Am I there?

I finally reach her and sit down next to where her head rests and watch her face some more. Her lashes flick and twitch ever so slightly like the wings of a small faery telling me she may be close to waking. Her brows furrow in… distress? No. Concentration. Her lips then begin to move just as her lashes had a moment ago. They were waking as well, not only waking but working. Trying to convey some unconscious message that needed to be said before her conscious mind could fully take over once more and stop her. I lean in close trying to hear something or look harder at those lips, attempting hazily to reveal their secret. The softest of mumbles are escaping, but I can't make them out as hard as I try. Her lips are starting form words more fully, but the sound still isn't coming out as well. But, as her lips move more and I think I might be able to read them, a stray lock of her golden hair falls on them and prevents me from interpreting everything fully. I swear, though, that I see my name fall off her lips.

"Diaval…"

The word is softer than a sigh, but it is unmistakeable. My eyes widen in shock and excitement and my heart pounds as it does every time I hear her say my name. What does this mean? Am I in her dreams with her? Does she dream of me often? Can she simply sense my presence here now and that is what caused her to utter my name, not that she was dreaming of me? Can she see me? Is she waking?

Her closed eyes are not fluttering or showing any movement anymore, but I can see her mouth is still moving and she is still mumbling unintelligible words. The lock of hair is still over her mouth, though! I can't read her lips! I carefully and slowly move my hand to the strands above her face and sweep them away with my fingertips so gently and even that small contact sends energy surging up my hand and into my heart… and then I see her eyes open wide out of the corner of my own eye.

I realize in that moment how incredibly close my face is to hers. Perhaps a mere two inches separate the tips of our noses, but I can't pull away. I should, but I can't. Some indescribable force holds me exactly where I am. Suddenly, I have a moment of clarity that overtakes me and washes me in understanding. It's her eyes. Her eyes on mine have glued me to my place in mid air above her. Under their power, I cannot move, nor do I want to.

My heart soars when she blesses me with the most radiant smile I've ever seen on her face. Had I ever known that viewing her smile from a closer distance would enhance its beauty to such a degree, I never would have stirred a foot from her side. Is it the combination of the power of her eyes and that special smile on her face that have this effect upon me? I don't think I care.

"Diaval…" The same word that had come from her lips in her sleep still has the same power over me the second time it is spoken. I feel my pulse rush with the intensity of a beating drum through my veins. I feel alive and I feel love like no other feeing in the world exists. It doesn't matter how much better than me she deserves. It doesn't matter that I am so unworthy of her. It doesn't matter that she could never possibly love me back. I have enough love for both of us. It takes so much restraint not to take her in my arms and tell her all of this, but the freezing power of her doe eyes helps a bit.

She raises her hand and moves a bit of hair away from my face that had fallen over my brow just as I had swept away a lock of her hair a moment ago. She moves it behind my ear and I am completely still. This time, I can't really tell if that's because my sheer happiness has rendered me immobile or if it's because I'm scared that if I move, she will move away from me.

Suddenly, she grabs hold of my hand and stands up, pulling me with her. I stand and look at our now interlocking fingers and feel the energy surging to my heart ten times as strong as before and I cannot stop the grin that spreads over my face.

"Follow me, Diaval!" she exclaims joyfully and starts off in a jog, towing me behind.

"To the ends of the earth…" I respond.

_What?!_ Did I just say that? Out loud?! Goddammit, you bird brain! Contain yourself! You're going to scare her off! Just don't say anything! Stupid, _stupid_ human body! Stupid human mouth! Why can't I have a filter between my brain and mouth around her just once?

I worry she will let go of my hand and run away by herself and I prepare my fast legs to run after her, but the moment doesn't come. Instead, she just looks behind at me and smiles her breath-taking smile while keeping a firm grasp on my hand and a steady, hurried pace across the field towards the tree line. She must have heard me… right?

We closed in on the trees just as the clouds overtook the sun and coated the atmosphere with a bright indirect lighting. However, as we entered the forest, the cover of trees made it dark. I tightened my grip on Aurora's hand, but it somehow slipped out of mine. I looked at my empty hand just as I heard her familiar giggle as she ran off into a thick patch of foliage and bark. I caught a glimpse of a wisp of blonde, then nothing. I follow after, smirking at her hide-and-seek antics, but when I reach the place I was sure she had gone, I see nothing but more trees and bushes.

My smirk disappears and I look around in earnest, trying to locate her.

"Aurora?" I call lightly. All I hear in response is a faint giggle. I hurry in the direction the light, musical sound came from and try to call louder. Each time, though, the answering sound is coming from a different direction. I begin to genuinely worry now. The forest is getting darker with every passing second. What if she gets lost?

"Aurora!" I yell once more. This time, the answering laughter comes from a few yards in front of me behind a cover of more trees and mangled roots protruding from the ground. However, the laughter changes and becomes darker, deeper. Just like the changing forest around me. I start to recognize the laughter just as I make out a pair of glowing, green eyes and the shape of twisted horns.

"Mistress…" I mumble, confused. She sees my inquisitive look and seems amused by it. As my eyes adjust, I can make out the grin that is stretching her lips into a devious expression. That is the same look she had on the day of Aurora's christening.

As if I'm being spun around, or the world is spinning around me, my mistress is taken out of my view and so is the forest. I am now facing the wall around the Moors. The impressive fortress somehow seems miles higher than it had before. It had been a considerable in height before, but now, it seems to tower unfathomably toward the sky for ages.

I look down and see its twisting, intimidating roots at the base, daring anyone to cross. However, just a few feet in front of where the wall's expansive perimeter begins, its roots jut out of the ground and make an odd shape. Some branches swirl and some stick out stock straight and there in front of the largest swirl of branch is a frighteningly large thorn. It's such an out of place arrangement. It looks almost organized. Man-made. It escapes me what exactly it reminds me of until I see a very familiar form standing in front of it.

Now, it is all extremely clear. There Aurora stands with a dazed look and her hand outstretched toward a mass of briar roots in the shape of a spinning wheel.

"NO!" I scream and surge a foot forward to start running to stop her, but several things happen all at once. The ground underneath my foot collapses like it were a mere layer of dirt with nothing supporting it, Aurora's entranced eyes meet my own frenzied ones as I begin to fall, and the tip of her finger spears itself on the thorny spindle of the spinning wheel.

Then, I am falling. I am tumbling through nothing but utter blackness that is only compounded by my own horror and anger at what I had just witnessed and at myself. I don't know when I reached the end of my fall, but just as a suddenly as it began, I was no longer falling.

The blackness retreated when I opened my eyes that I had not realized I closed, but the fear and anger and desperation were still very much there. I sit up quickly and see only stone walls and heavy double doors at first, but my panicky state has me better assessing my surroundings in a hurry. There is an expensive-looking tapestry on a wall, a folding screen used for changing behind close to another wall, and a large bed near a window in the center point of the room. It is the person resting in the bed that catches my attention, though.

The gold locks and blushing cheeks are an instant giveaway.

"Aurora!" I cry out and rush to her side. She doesn't move, doesn't make a sound. She barely breathes. It is so different from when she was sleeping what seemed like an hour ago. She had so much expression and life in her face then. I couldn't stop this… Why couldn't I stop this?!

"Why did you have to go?" I feel something run down my cheek and touch my face. The water sticks to my fingers again and to my eyes down to my chin. Let it run. It doesn't matter.

Reluctantly, I reach a hand toward hers once more, but as soon as my hand grabs hers, her skin becomes wrinkled and withered. The veins protrude from her papery skin and her frail bones are nearly visible and seem so incredibly fragile. I gasp with shock and horror as the life, youth, and vitality is drained from her body. I look at her face to see that it, too, is rapidly aged and wrinkled and devoid of color. Her luscious gold hair is now incredibly thin and grey and stringy. Her eyes are sunken into her skull and her lips and cheeks have thinned and paled tremendously. She has aged a hundred years.

Diaval's eyes snapped open and he jerked upwards, gasping in a cold sweat despite the pleasantly warm summer air.

"Hey! Hey!" Aurora instinctively reached out and grabbed his shoulder to comfort him. Her daisy chain lie forgotten in the grass, sitting beside her. "Diaval! It's alright! You're alright. Did you have a bad dream?"

He looked at the princess with a frantic glance and stared at her for a moment, just taking in her reassurance that it was only a horrific dream. Without thinking, he embraced her tightly in his relief and allowed himself to take comfort in her stroking his hair and shushing him. But, on the inside, his determination grew steely.

He would not see the curse through. He would never allow Aurora to spend her life in a death sleep. He couldn't bear it. Now that he knew what even a poor vision of that vial, eternal torture looked like, he was far more determined than ever to break her curse. For her curse was his curse. He knew that for a fact now, and if he couldn't find a way to break it, then he deserved to endure that hell with her.


End file.
